which he is so highly offended. The question was not whether family prayer be right or wrong, but whether it be commanded by scripture, or whether it be a matter merely of christian discretion. I have said there is no proof that Joshua had either a family or a wife, and that his household consisted of those persons who stood connected with him as captains of the armies of Israel I have also said that the word families, both in the third and tenth chapters of Jeremiah, signifies tribes. Your correspondent is angry with me for saying this, but he does not give one proof that I am wrong. Let me then, just as I pass along towards my subject, give two proofs that I am right.

In the third of Jeremiah the Lord says, I will take you one of a city, and two of a family." Now we all know that a city is larger than a family; yet here is one only of a city, and two of a family. In order therefore to understand this, I take the word family to mean tribe, for one tribe had many cities. Thus the matter becomes plain, one of a city, two of a tribe. Thus the offspring of each of the patriarchs is called a family.

And again, in the tenth of Jeremiah, "Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know not thee, and upon the families that call not upon thy name." Take this as meaning a family in our common sense of the word, and then what will you do with Abraham's family, Ishmael and Isaac? and with Isaac's family, Jacob and Esau? and indeed the family of almost every, if not quite every true believer that ever lived. The Lord does not reckon his family after the flesh, they are "born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God:" and they that be of faith are the children of Abraham. Aud as regards the meaning of the word "families," as used in Jer. x., our safe way will be to take that explanation which the Holy Ghost him

self has given, wherein those whom Jeremiah calls families are called kingdoms. It is thus written in Psalm lxxix. 6, "Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name." That the word families both in the 3rd and in the 10th of Jeremiah means tribes, is to him that understandeth clear. But your correspondent would reckon the heirs of heaven after the flesh, and bring them under all the curses which the Redeemer swallowed up in the great atlantic of atoning blood. Yea more, he would even that we little ones should be deprived of the privilege of asking our ministers and our elders (whom our God hath given us) to shew us the word of the Lord. However, as your correspondent is but a poor worm like myself, I shall (mercy enabling me) go on desiring to " dwell in the house of the Lord, that I may behold the beauty of the Lord, and inquire in his temple." Aye, and bless his name too, that he enables me feelingly to say, "My soul thirsteth for God."

My reasons for introducing this question I shall state in due order; just observing that I had no desire that a controversy should be entered into, any further than it should be conducted in the fear of God, and light of truth, and tend to edify and to profit. Let the motives and the object be clearly understood, and let each speak freely, and not put ourselves under a bushel, but shine with all the light we can, There is nothing so much dreaded by the Prince of darkness as the light of Bible truth, the light of life: I do not mean mere notional light, but that which arises from the life of God in the soul. I did hope that some one whose heart was established in grace, and mighty in the scriptures, would have shewn us his opinion; but as this is not done, I will endeavour to shew my opinion (Job xxxii. 10).

The first reason that I shall notice

is, that I wished to know what the word of the Lord said upon family prayer. The next reason is, that I object to written forms of prayer. The reasons I will state presently. The next reason is, that I believe many of the Lord's people are tried upon this subject, and I wish to see, and wish others to see the subject in the right light.

The first question then is, What saith the scriptures ? for I wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way? even by taking heed thereto according to thy word." Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord." Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and they were sweet unto my taste.” 'I rejoice at thy word as one that findeth great spoil." "Thy word is a light unto my feet, and a lamp unto my path." This is my comfort in my affliction, thy word hath quickened me." "I have esteemed thy word more than my necessary food." Call no man on earth Master, for one is your Master even Christ." "Call no man on earth (in spiritual matters) father, for one is your father even God."

What then saith the scriptures upon what is called family prayer? Not a sentence! nor mention it by precept nor example. But let it be observed, that while the scriptures say nothing for it, they say nothing against it nor do I; but conclude that it is a matter merely of christian discretion.

The next reason I shall notice is, that I object to a written form. First, because it is not authorized by scripture; for we do not find that any particular form of words to be used in prayer, was at any time delivered unto the saints: the promise to them is, that upon them shall be poured the spirit of grace and supplication: they shall pray, not out of books, but out of the anguish, hungerings, and thirstings of their own souls. These

February, 1840.]

know that the kingdom does not stand in forms and ceremonies, but in power, in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. That form of words given by the Lord himself, was not given as a form which the disciples were to use, nor did they so understand it; neither have we any instance of their ever using those exact words. Hence the Saviour said, "When ye pray, pray after this manner:" that is, in the spirit of adoption, and this we find they did. The prayer of the unregenerate is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. If a man have a praying heart he does not need a book; and if he have not a praying heart, his book is a crutch to help him on the road to perdition, in the path of religious formality. And how many thousands have we in the present day, who are in deluding quietude, walking in that path which seemeth right unto men, but the end thereof is death. And are not menmade ministers sending out their ponderous volumes upon what they call family devotion: whilst the most popular of these false apostles are, with all the flattery of deceivers, recommending the purchase of these whole-duty-of-men- books, making hypocrites by thousands. These be they who prosper in the world. and spread themselves like a green baytree, under the shadow of which are some of the precious sons of Zion, and there they will continue until they are starved out: then will they arise and go to the house of their Father.

There is a species of popish tyranny exercised by many of these prayersaying hypocrites. The Lord hath chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, so that" not many mighty, not many noble are called." Very well, here is a female who is blessed with a saving knowledge of Christ, one who fears

F

man.

:

God and eschews evil, whose faith stands not in the wisdom of man but in the power of God, and who is so placed by providence that her own hands must minister to her necessities; she enters her place of servitude, and she is expected to (what they call) conform to the rules of the family here are the master and the mistress prayer-saying, dead universal-charity professors; here is a dead form of prayer. carried on by a carnal The servant, a partaker of life in Christ Jesus, compelled against her own conscience to join every day in those dead works; and if she complain of this usurpation of her conscience, notice is then given her to leave her situation. These are our universal charity men: so charitably imposing their dead formalities upon the living believer in Christ. Look into the advertisements of that rotten rag called the Evangelical Magazine, and how frequently occurs the clause, Expected to conform to the rules of the family:" that is, act in religious matters just as they tell you. Many instances of servants who know the Lord being thus treated have come under my own notice, and yet even some good men in writing forms of prayer have helped the ungodly. I object therefore to written forms, because they are not authorized by scripture also, because they delude the people, build up hypocrites, insult God, pester the children of God, and are contrary to the spirit of grace and supplication, with which the children of God are blest.

I now come to my third reason for putting forth the question on family prayer. I shall now show mine opinion upon family prayer as it relates to the children of God. These have the Spirit of Christ, and thirst for God; believe in him, trust in him, walk with him, and cleave to him with purpose of heart, independent of all external forms and circumstances: their life is hid with Christ in God: the life they live is by the faith

of the Son of God, who loved them and gave himself for them, that whether they wake or sleep they should live together with him.

In nine cases (or perhaps more) out of ten, family prayer, with the real children of God is impracticable, for I must again repeat, that God hath chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith and heirs of the king, dom. The majority of those who live in the country, that have a saving knowledge of the truth, are labouring men; we will take, for example, a man and his wife, both of them fear the Lord, and love him sincerely, they have two, or three, or more children, the honest-hearted man labours willingly to minister to the necessities of his family, and the dear good wife does all she can both in the house and the field; now when are these to have family prayer ? Shall it be in the morning? aye, but the good man leaves his house as soon as it is light to go to work, and in the evening he is so weary that he is ready to do as did the disciples, namely, go to sleep. As with the labourer in the country, so with the mechanic in London, and other large towns.

But let us go on with our honest labourer and heart-cheering wife; let us view them on the Sabbath day, here they are in a little cottage, perhaps with two or three rooms, no means of keeping little ones quiet, no servant to take them out of the way; here is no family prayer, yet, as I shall presently shew, good order is kept up in the house. Now, then, these two real followers of the Lamb, go to hear the word of God, and take their children with them as much as they can, the minister comes into the pulpit, speaks out in prayer the very language of their hearts, he then comes to some portion of the Lord's precious word as his text, he describes very sweetly the operations of the Holy Spirit, brings in the unsearchable riches of Christ, the eternal counsels of God

the Father, and enlarges upon those things which minister grace (not works) to the hearers: he begins in the Spirit, he goes on in the Spirit, and ends in the Spirit. Well, our good brother and sister, the labourer and his ever affectionate wife, return home, their hearts filled with the dear name, mercy, and love of Christ, they cast their burdens upon the Lord, tread the world under their feet, eat their bread with gladness and singleness of heart, their little quibbles and tiffs are forgotten, while each can say of Christ.

"Yes, thou art precious to my soul,

My transport and my trust; Jewels to thee are gaudy toys, And gold is sordid dust."

Next Sabbath our tried labourer and his wife again go to hear the word of God; the minister goes in his sermon for some time very well, presently however the clouds arise, and there comes a tremendous storm upon the heads of the neglectors of family prayer, making perhaps a little, but very little, allowance for circumstances: the poor minister loses himself, the truth, and every thing vital in the storm which the devil and his own heart have raised; while the poor disciples are filled with fears, and pulling and tugging up resolutions in their minds, to bring the vessel to land, and never again neglect family prayer: but it sometimes happens that before the end of the Sermon, the minister again comes to himself, Jesus appears, and there is a great calm; then are the disciples glad when they see the Lord: but if the sermon should end in this storm, it is ten to one but our labourer and his wife go home miserable enough, although not one scripture could be brought against them, except by being misapplied. Now mark the difference between the effects cf this stormy sermon, and the spiritual sermon the Sabbath before; last Sabbath they were walking in the light of the Lord's countenance, rejoiced

in his name, were exalted in his righteousness, and enjoyed that peace which passeth all understanding; but now, unbelief, legality, fretfulness, and discontent are the loads that seem to reign. The minister has done this through a mistaken zeal for consistency. This is the preaching that will feed the formalist, starve the living in Jerusalem, hide the glories of Christ, and make the children of God the objects of persecution, by those who know not the plague of their own hearts.

Hundreds of circumstances may be mentioned which make a form of family prayer impracticable; and besides, if this practice be so important to the children of God, how is it that the Lord himself nor his apostles once exhort to the practice of it. The notion generally entertained concerning it, are, that it is essential to moral order, and for christian example, and that the man who does not have what is called family prayer, does not pray for his children. These are the notions of men, but they are every one wrong; there are thousands of real children of God who do not have family prayer; yet good moral order is kept up; no lying, no swearing, no Sabbath breaking allowed, the children are taken (as far as lieth in the parents so to do) to hear the word of God, and as for example, they set them examples of honesty, industry, and reverential regard to the book of God, and ways of God: and as to praying for them, every christian knows and feels that the Lord alone can bless his children, either in the things of this world or that which is to come, and feels an earnest desire to the Lord, that if it be his will, he would make known to them his saving mercy. Let those who have the opportunity and inclination practice this form of family prayer, I am not speaking against it, but wish only to put it into its right place, that we may not be drawn away by passing shadows, from that

fulness of grace and glory we have in Christ. We live in a day, when (with all our boasted reformation from popery) the formalities of the creature are more thought of, more talked of, more insisted upon, and more contended for than the ancient counsels of God, the infinitely precious work of Christ, and vital operations of the Holy Spirit; and when the voice of truth is lifted up against the forms and inventions of men, they (Laban like) exclaim, "Ye have taken my gods away;" and when we tell them they are idol gods, they want to persuade us that we are enemies to holiness, when, poor creatures, they themselves know not what it is either to tremble at the holiness of the law, or rejoice in the holiness of the gospel.

We expect carnal

notions from carnal men, but where we find spiritual men dealing so much in the leaven of the pharisees it becomes a matter of lamentation.

I conclude, then, that what is called family prayer, is a matter purely of christian discretion; that it is not essential to the bringing up of our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, that is, as far as lieth in us, bring them up in the precepts and principles of the Bible. Then let not the lovers of eternal truth, fear the frowns, nor be afraid of the doctrines and denunciations of

men.

"Careless (myself a dying man) Of dying men's esteem; Happy, O God, if thou approve, Though all beside condemn."

GAD.

Reminiscences of Past Experience, by the late Mrs. Grace Soper. 18mo. pp. 204. London, Darton & Clark.

We always take up with the anticipation of pleasure personal narratives of God's saints. Biography is at all times interesting; but the self-told tale of a believer's experience brings with it, to us at least, a charm which invests few other publications. This little book is the carrying out of the mandate given by Israel's Lord to his people of old, that remembering the great things he had done for them, they should be mindful to tell his wonderful works to their children's children and here we have a mother

in Israel narrating to her sons, to the praise of the glory of God's grace, his rich mercy to her in awakening, teaching, strengthening, upholding, and leading her by a right way to the city of habitation. Oh! who shall estimate the preciousness of such a

memorial to her believing offspring; or calculate its influence, under divine teaching, in causing them to follow her as she followed Christ. The volume is written in simple, unadorned language; the evident outflowings of a mother's affection yearning for the best interests of her family: and a mother's love needs not the trappings of diction: let it come to us, as a mother breathes it, unencumbered with editorial imagery, and where is the heart that it doth not in some measure soften? We cordially recommend the little volume, and thank the editor for the delight we have experienced in the perusal.